| Successful theatrical director Siddalee Walker opens up to a journalist about her tumultous childhood and her inconsistent upbringing by her mother. She is quoted in the newspaper as calling her mother "a tap dancing child abuser." Her mother Vivi, understandably, does not appreciate her daughter's frank words. They become estranged, and it falls upon a group of her mother's friends who are known as the "Ya-ya Sisterhood" to bring mother and daughter back together. Until this issue is resolved, Siddalee is not free to move forward with her own life. She has put her own upcoming wedding to her "Mr. Perfect" on hold, feeling haunted by her mother's legacy and unable to freely love her own man with no reservations about the nature of love.
Unraveling the secrets of her mother's past, Siddalee is sent a intriguing package of scraps and momentos from her mother's life. Seeking to understand her mother, she delves into this memorabilia, back into the 1930s and 40s in the South, when Southern women were expected to think and act a certain way. Her mother's natural vivaciousness and zest for living are at odds with the mores of the times. Together with her girlfriends, "the Ya-Yas", her mother got into numerous scrapes and escapades as a teenager. When the love of Vivi's life dies in the war, something seems to die in Vivi. Although she goes on to marry, Vivi turns to alcohol and becomes severely depressed over the years. The effect of this depression and subsequent child abuse is strongly felt by Siddalee, the oldest of Vivi's children. Siddalee comes to better understand her mother and to realize the nature of imperfect love. Her mother loves her, in her own way, and although suffering from depression and alcoholism, has passed on her joy for living in Siddalee. | ||
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Plot & Themes Tone of book? - very sensitive (sigh) Time/era of story - 1930's-1950's Family, struggle with Yes Struggle with: - Mother (or standin) Is this an adult or child's book? - Adult or Young Adult Book Main Character Gender - Female Profession/status: Age: - 40's-50's Ethnicity/Nationality Main Adversary Identity: - Female Age: - 60's-90's Profession/status: How sensitive is this character? Sense of humor - Strong but gentle sense of humor Intelligence - Smarter than most other characters Setting How much descriptions of surroundings? - 8 () United States Yes The US: - Southeast Small town? Yes Small town people: - very gullible, like Gomer Pyle Misc setting Writing Style Amount of dialog - roughly even amounts of descript and dialog |
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